Crest Lawn Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia

Crest Lawn is situated on one of the highest spots in the city of Atlanta, and has commanding views east and south towards downtown. This high ground was of natural strategic importance during the Battle of Atlanta, and Union and Confederate troops battled to control these heights.

Several synagogues maintain burial areas at Crest Lawn.

This shot looks down onto Joe Johnston Hill. "Fighting" Joe Johnston commanded the Confederate troops defending Georgia until he was replaced by General Hood shortly before the Battle of Atlanta.

Westview Cemetery, Atlanta, GA

The Henry Grady Vault at Westview Cemetery

Westview Cemetery, in Atlanta, encompassing 585 acres, is the largest cemetery in the Southeastern United States, and one of the largest in the country. It is more than twice the size of Piedmont Park, making it by far the city's largest greenspace. More on Westview here.

Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, GA

Oakland's Potter's Field with the Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills buildings in the background.

The Potter's Field at Oakland holds about 7500 of Oakland's 70,000 graves, all unmarked and unsegregated by race or religion. While watching the excellent Public Broadcasting Georgia documentary on Oakland last night I learned that burials in the Potter's Field were recorded and the records still exist. While most of the burials here were of people whose families did not have the means to purchase a plot or gravestone, a number were of people who simply couldn't buy a lot after they sold out in 1884.

The old Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills looms over this section of the cemetery. Jacob Elsas, a German Jewish immigrant, along with his partner Isaac May, began constructing the complex in 1881. The mill closed in 1978. The buildings have since been converted into loft condos. Jacob Elsas is interred in one of Oakland's mausoleums, with a commanding view of the Mill complex.

Mt. Pleasant Baptist, Bartow County, GA

Mount Pleasant Baptist cemetery, Bartow County, Georgia

Important instructions at a self-service cemetery.

Holy Rood Cemetery, Washington DC



Holy Rood, established by Holy Trinity Catholic Church in 1832, sits atop one of the highest points in Washington. Today Holy Rood is owned by Georgetown University, but is suffering from years of neglect and vandalism.

Alta Vista Cemetery, Gainesville, GA

Alta Vista Cemetery, Gainesville, Georgia

Alta Vista “high view” in Spanish, and the site of this cemetery in Gainesville, Georgia offers that in all directions. This cemetery, which contains the graves of many of Gainesville's best know citizens, is perhaps best known for the grave and memorial of Civil War general James Longstreet, one of Lee's closest lieutenants.

More on Alta Vista here.

Marietta City Cemetery - Marietta, GA

Marietta City Cemetery, established in 1831, is one of the oldest in the Atlanta metro area. This shot was taken as dark was fast approaching. A cemetery in the winter after sunset - a natural for B&W.

Decatur - Decatur, GA

James McNeil, Colonel, GA Troops, Rev War. Died in 1853 at age 96.

The Historical Marker in Decatur Cemetery claims that it is the oldest known public burial ground in metro Atlanta. I've read the same thing about Utoy in East Point. Without definitive burial records it'll be hard to tell for sure. The "old" section of Decatur is supposed to predate the founding of the City of Decatur in 1823. Regardless, it does contain several gravesites of veterans of the American Revolution.

North Burial Ground - Providence, RI

North Burial Ground, Providence, Rhode Island

I see so many photos overdone with HDR processing, to the point that they look like cartoons. Of course that is the prerogative of the photographer. Experimenting in the other direction seems appropriate for graveyard photographs. In this photo, taken at the North Burial Ground in Providence, I desaturated the image and flattened out the contrast.

Rose Hill - Macon GA

Rose Hill Cemetery, Macon, Georgia

I'd read that anyone who visits Rose Hill will eventually be stopped and asked for directions to the graves of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley. These two original members of the Allman Brothers band, who died in motorcycle crashes within a year of each other in 1971 and 1972, are buried side by side in Rose Hill. Sure enough, on the day I visited I was stopped twice by people looking for the gravesite. Rose Hill is justly famous for more reasons than the Allman Brothers. It is Macon's largest and oldest cemetery, laid out over 65 acres on a bluff overlooking the Ocmulgee River. The bluff itself is split into several ridges and the varied topography creates many interesting viewpoints throughout the site.